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Lourdes Regional, a team that reached last year’s state final, showed confidence and poise in posting an impressive 50-26 win over Susquehanna in the second round of the PIAA Class A girls’ basketball playoffs Friday at Pittston Area High School.

The Red Raiders will play Jenkintown of District 1 in Sunday’s quarterfinals.

Lourdes was led by senior All-State guard Carmella Bickel, who scored a game-high 26 points. She consistently drove inside and found teammates along the baseline or converted layups.

“She runs the whole show,” Lourdes coach Michael Klembara said. “She’s just a dynamite player. She has the whole total package together and she complements the other four players on the floor and they complement her.”

Bickel had seven points in the first quarter as Lourdes built a 9-3 lead. Susquehanna started the second quarter strong. Taylor Huyck turned two steals into a pair of fast-break layups and Taylor Williams drilled a 3-pointer. But Lourdes responded and closed the first half on a 14-0 run.

“We were very concerned about (Huyck) taking charge,” Klembara said. “This is their first time getting this far. But our girls have been through the wars so to speak. We get the opportunity to move on and we’re right where we want to be at this time of year.”

Huyck and MacKenzie Steele each scored 10 points for Susquehanna.

“We’ve never been in this situation before,” Susquehanna coach Errol Mannick said. “We want to win a state title. That’s our goal. So to do that, this is one of the steps we had to take. The girls gave every possible amount of effort that they had and they worked together as a unit.”

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